"Whoopee – cancer!"
That's not your average reaction to a cancer diagnosis, and Casey Quinlan isn't your average patient. When, after her 15th mammogram, she won the booby prize – breast cancer – her first reaction, after downing a stiff drink, was to cover her own cancer story with the same relentless inquiry she brought to her career in network television news, and that informs her work as a "business storyteller" and branding consultant.
Casey's approach to her treatment: be an active participant, not a passive consumer. Her metaphor for managing medical treatment? "It's like a car wash. When you go to a car wash, do you want to be inside the car, or strapped to the hood? Ask questions, make sure you understand the answers – you get to stay inside the car. Otherwise, you get lots of soap and wax up your nose!"
In Cancer for Christmas: Making the Most of a Daunting Gift, Casey shares the questions she asked her doctors, what she did with the answers, and how she navigated surgery, chemo, and radiation treatment with determination, ferocity, and a large dose of humor.
Fierce and funny, thought-provoking and inspiring, Casey's story of her journey to cancer-free is full of insight into how to survive, and thrive, after getting life-changing medical news.
Casey is a storyteller, speaker, media strategist, and writer with an extensive background in broadcasting, theater, and stand-up comedy, who believes that it – business, and life – is all about the story.
Telling a great story attracts and engages your target market, driving the growth of your brand.
Casey studied theater and performance at the University of San Francisco, American Conservatory Theater, HB Studios, and the American Comedy Institute.
From there, she launched a two-decade career in broadcast news and sports, covering stories for Dateline and Today, presidential campaigns, wars, presidential campaigns that turned into wars, NFL Playoff games, Stanley Cup hockey, and the NBA.
The highest and best use of her theater and improv training came when Casey talked her way out of police custody in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield in 1991. She talked her way out of jail, and then got to stay in Saudi for four months – she's still not sure that was really a win, but it's a great story.
She honed in-the-moment skills doing stand-up comedy, performing at Caroline's, Gotham Comedy Club, Catch A Rising Star, and the New York Comedy Club. After facing drunken hecklers, corporate audiences are a walk in the park.
It's all about the story – whether you're building a company, a brand, or a community.
